Friday, October 9, 2015

Portugeu* (for Portugue*)

Sometimes, when I need inspiration, I go to the Wikipedia page for whatever day it happens to be (October 9, say) to find out who was born on that day and any other important events that might have occurred. Today is the first date for which I've seen a non-human's birthday listed—i.e., that of Bo, the Obama family's "White House Dog." Strictly speaking, Bo is a Portuguese Water Dog, a breed that is not only too cute for words, but thankfully and thoughtfully (if only theoretically?), "hypoallergenic." This pooch was first identified circa 1297 in a monk's account of a drowning sailor who had been rescued from the sea by one. The heroic canine was said to have had a "black coat, the hair long and rough, cut to the first rib and with a tail tuft." Portugeu* (for Portugue*) turned up 15 times in OhioLINK, and 190 times in WorldCat. Bo Obama, who now has a little sister named Sunny, turns seven years old today. Happy B-Day, Bo-Dog!

(The official portrait of the Obama family dog, "Bo", a Portuguese water dog, on the South Lawn of the White House, 20 May 2009, from Wikimedia Commons.)